Delphic Hymns composed in Greece; notated versions survive in fragments
100 BC (very approximate) The Seikilos epitaph is composed and engraved in Asia Minor, the earliest complete notated musical composition to survive to the present day
Isidore of Seville writes a treatise on music theory; famously mentions that it is not possible to notate musical sounds, indicating that ancient art of music notation has been lost
Earliest notated music to reappear after the loss of the art of notation in the 5th century; neumatic manuscripts from Regensburg
Approximate date of the unification of the various Christian liturgies (Gallican, Ambrosian, Roman) into one; Gregorian chant becomes unified throughout Europe; possibly occurs under guidance of Charlemagne
A relic of Saint James is said to have been found in Galicia, causing a wave of pilgrims to the area; the result is northern Spain's evolution into a musical mixing pot with influences from across Europe
Hucbald, or possibly another anonymous theorist, writes rules for composing organum, a practice which had likely existed for an unknown amount of time prior to his treatise (the Musica enchiriadis)
c. 1390 Peak of activity of the ars subtilior style at Avignon, an avant-garde, rhythmically complex type secular song intended for a small group of connoisseurs
190 copies of a broadside ballad are sold by one merchant in England -- this is a phenomenal amount considering the rarity of literacy at the time, and can be considered the beginning of a British popular music tradition
The European Renaissance ends and the Baroque period begins; polyphonic style gives way to monody, with increased emphasis on harmony and instrumentation
The harp is added to European orchestras
Slaves brought to Morocco from Mali lead to the development of gnawa
The Burmese sack Ayuthaya and bring Thai musicians to their homeland, thus leading to a mixture of Burmese, Thai and Cambodian musics in Burma and elsewhere in southeast Asia
Spain adopts a policy of encouraging Roman Catholics to move to its colonies, leading to a French majority on the island of Trinidad; the French immigrants bring Carnival and the roots of calypso
Mungo Park, a Scottish explorer, sees a kora being played in one of the Mande courts; this is the first verifiable sighting of the instrument, now the dominant instrument in Malian music
Isidore of Seville writes a treatise on music theory; famously mentions that it is not possible to notate musical sounds, indicating that ancient art of music notation has been lost
Earliest notated music to reappear after the loss of the art of notation in the 5th century; neumatic manuscripts from Regensburg
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